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F. S. BOONE Aug. 9, 1955 BATH CABINET 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 26, 1951 Fig. I

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BATH CABINET Filed Dec. 26, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 D II //00 Fig.2

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Fig.3 /00 BY wmzm Aug. 9, 1955 F. s. BOONE 2,714,725

BATH CABINET Filed Dec. 26, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 58 Fig.4 54 52 50 70 IN V EN TOR.

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BATH CABINET Filed Dec. 26, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 6

Fletcher Sande/l Boone IN VEN TOR.

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United States Patent Oflice Z ,7 14,725 Patented Aug. 9, 1955 BATH CABINET Fletcher Sandell Boone, San Antonio, Tex.

ApplicationDecemher 26, 1951, Serial No. 263,183

2 Claims. (Cl. 4-148) This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in bath cabinets, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character herein described wherein a person may selectively take a bath or a shower while in a natural sittingposition, thereby avoiding any possibility of falling, slipping or sliding which commonly occurs when using conventional bath or shower equipment.

Another object of the invention involves the provision of means whereby a person may fully contain himself or herself in the cabinet so that only the head protrudes rail 26 extends from the entrance opening to the seat 16 at one side of the well 14 as is clearly shown in the accompanying drawings.

The well 14 has a sloping floor or bottom 28 provided with a drain 30 which is preferably located under one of the arm rests 18 and is equipped with the closure plug 32. This plug is mounted at the lower end of a vertical shaft 34 which extends upwardly through the associated arm rest and carries a control knob 36 so that by simple manipulation of this knob, the bather sitting on the seat 16 may easily open or close the drain.

A side wall portion 38 of the well 14, extending downwardly from the seat 16 to the bottom 28, is provided with a grill 40 to prevent the passage of solid articles into the drain. Moreover, the side wall portion 38 carries a bracket 42 in which the shaft 34 is slidable, as is clearly shown in Figure 4.

The apparatus receives its supply of water by means of hot and cold water pipes 44, 46 respectively, which enter outwardly, this arrangement being such as to facilitate the use of the apparatus as a Turkish bath utilizing heat from the steam which emanates from hot water in the cabinet itself.

Other features of the invention reside in the provision of various types of accessories such as towel racks, compartments for underclothing, a hamper for soiled clothes, et cetera, all of which may be built into the cabinet to constitute components thereof, if so desired.

The advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its etficient and dependable operation, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the invention, partially broken away so as to reveal its construction;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 44 in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cabinet with the cover thereon, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view, similar to that shown in Figure 1, but illustrating a modified and substantially simplified embodiment of the invention.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, primarily to Figures 1-5 inclusive, the invention con sists of a bath cabinet which is designated generally by the reference character 10 and embodies in its construction a substantially cubical housing 12 in which is provided an oval-shaped well 14 to accommodate a bather seated on a seat 16 with which the well is equipped. Suitable arm rests 18 are provided at the opposite sides of the seat 16 and the housing 12 is formed at the front thereof with an entrance opening 20 communicating with the well, as is clearly shown in Figure l.

The housing 12 is provided at the edges of the entrance opening 20 with suitable grooves or channels 22 to receive a sliding, flexible door 24 and an arcuate hand the cabinet at one side of the seat 16 and are connected to a valve assembly 48 mounted in a space between the wall of the well 14 and the outside wall of the cabinet. The valve assembly 48 includes hot and cold water valves which are remotely controlled by corresponding knobs 50, 52 provided On the top wall 54 of the housing, these knobs being operatively connected to the valve unit 48 by flexible drive shaft units 56.

Anadditional control knob 58 is connected by a flexible drive shaft to a 2-way valve (.0 which receives a supply of mixed water through a connection 62 from the valve assembly 48 and delivers it either to an arcuate spraying tube 62 or to anadjustable shower unit 64. The spraying tube 62 is mounted in the well 14 above the seat 16 and is connected to the valve 60 by a conduit 66, the tube 62 having a row of perforations 68 therein so that water under pressure may be sprayed on the occupant of the seat and eventually fill the well 14. In this connection it is to be noted that the aforementioned door 24 is watertight when in its closed position, so that the well 14 may be filled to any desired level.

The shower unit 64 is adjustable by virtue of a flexible neck 70 by which it is carried, the neck being connected, in turn, by a pipe 72 to the valve 60, so that by manipulating the valve 60, Water may be discharged either through the spraying tube 62 or through the shower unit 64, as desired.

When the invention is to be used in the form of a Turkish bath, a removable cover 74 is positioned on the top wall 54 of the housing 12 so as to provide a closure for the open, upper end of the well 14, as illustrated in Figure 5. The cover 74 is provided above the seat 16 with a rectangular opening 76 having a closure panel 78 slidable in suitable channels 80 at the underside of the cover. The cover 74 and the panel 78 are recessed so as to form a circular aperture 82 when the panel 78 is closed, through which aperture the bather may extend his neck so that his head is disposed exteriorly of the cabinet. It is to be also noted that the cover 74 and the panel 78 are provided with complemental, dome-shaped protuherances 84, 86 which are disposed above the control knobs 50, 52, 58 to permit the manipulation of the knobs without reaching out of the cabinet. Also, the flexible neck 70 of the shower unit 64 may be extended inwardly through a recess 88 in the protuberance 86 so that the shower unit 64 is disposed in an arcuate channel 90 at one side of the seat 16 (see Figure 4). A resilient clip 92 is provided in the channel 90 to engage the neck 78 and sustain the shower unit 64 in position, and it will be understood that when the shower unit is so placed, the channel 90 will prevent the water from splashing after it leaves the shower.

An inspection door 94 is provided at one side of the cabinet 12 to facilitate servicing of the water connections and in addition, the cabinet is fitted with many accessories for the comfort and convenience of the bather. These include a plurality of compartments 96 which are pivotally mounted as at 98 in the front portion of the cabinet at the opposite sides of the entrance opening 20, the compartments 96 being intended to accommodate underwear, or the like. A towel compartment 100 having a plurality of racks 102, is provided in the rear portion of the cabinet above the inspection door 94, while the other side of the cabinet accommodates a vertically elongated hamper 104 to receive soiled clothes. The top wall 54 of the cabinet is also formed with a plurality of depressions 108, 110 to receive small articles, such as soap, or the like, and a 'swingable compartment 112 may be disposed adjacent the upper edge of the well 14 for general utilities.

Also, when the cover 74 is used, a compartment 114 may be provided on the cover to accommodate conventional heating elements, which for purposes of health, may be used in conjunction with the bath.

Referring now to the modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 6, the same is substantially equal in structure to the embodiment already described, but is considerably simplified since it does not make provision for the towel racks, hamper, clothes compartments, et ecetera, which are present in the embodiment 10. Of course, a cover similar to the cover 74 may be used in conjunction with the modified embodiment, if so desired.

it is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is: v

1. A bath cabinet comprising a housing defining a well to receive a user, said well having an open top, said housing including a top wall adjacent said well, a seat provided in the well of asid housing, a drain with closure means at the bottom of said well, means for delivering water into the well, water control means on said top wall adjacent said well, a cover removably positioned on said top wall, said cover having a rectangular opening notched at one side thereof, a panel slidably carried by said cover in registry with said opening and having a notched edge movable toward and away from the notched portion of said cover whereby to define an expansible neck opening, said cover also having a dome-like protuberance extending from the notched edge thereof over said control means, said panel also having a dome-like protuberance extending to its notched edge and registrable with the protuberance on the cover whereby the control means may be manipulated interiorly of the cabinet.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means for delivering water into the well comprises a shower unit having a flexible neck mounted on said housing, said unit extending above said well and being receivable therein through a recess formed by the mating edges of said protuberances.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 583,066 Mengis May 25, 1897 910,381 Hermann Jan. 19, 1909 945,241 Mayer Jan. 4, 1910 1,065,265 Nordmark June 17, 1913 1,426,519 Swift Aug. 22, 1922 1,436,090 Greenawalt Nov. 21, 1922 1,985,147 Carlson Dec. 18, 1934 1,997,249 Dobbs Apr. 9, 1935 2,030,687 Davis Feb. 11, 1936 2,518,060 Pickles Aug. 8, 1950 

